US 'Texas Shooting Massacre' Police Commander Went to the Scene Without a Radio

Commander, "Shoot or Arrest School Shooter Immediately" Directive Ignored... Police Ordered to "Stand By"
Over 1 Hour Delay in Subduing Suspect... Total of 21 Victims Reported

A grandmother sobbing while holding a photo of her granddaughter who was a victim in the elementary school shooting tragedy in Texas, USA. Photo by AP, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] It has been confirmed that the police did not even bring radios during the elementary school shooting incident that occurred on the 24th in Texas, USA.

On the 3rd (local time), according to The New York Times (NYT) and the Associated Press (AP), Pete Arredondo, chief of the Uvalde Independent School District Police Department in Texas, led the police response at the scene without the essential emergency communication equipment, a radio.

Chief Arredondo did not order the officers at the scene to immediately subdue the shooter, Salvador Ramos (18), despite his indiscriminate shooting, but instead instructed them to wait.

NYT reported, citing officials investigating the police's inadequate response, that since Chief Arredondo did not have a radio, the police response at the scene was inevitably hindered.

AP also reported that Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez received the same information from investigative agencies.

After receiving the incident report, Chief Arredondo ordered a withdrawal even after learning that two officers who first arrived at the scene were shot by Ramos.

This order contradicts the standard response guideline that "school shooters must be immediately confronted and either killed or arrested."

Furthermore, instead of using a radio, the chief accessed the police communication network via a regular cellphone and gave incorrect instructions, saying, "The suspect has an AR-15 rifle but is trapped in a classroom; more police reinforcements and school lockdown are needed."

As a result, following the chief's orders, the subduing of the shooter was delayed for over an hour while police reinforcements were being assembled. This led to the deaths of 9 children, 2 teachers, and a total of 21 people.

The shooter was killed by armed agents from the Border Patrol.

Regarding this, NYT explained that it was possible because the agents disobeyed Chief Arredondo's order to wait and acted on their own judgment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.